Category: General Philatelic Interest

Aspects of Colonial Pricing: Edward VII

THE PHILATELIC REGISTER is owned, published and edited by Ian Lasok-Smith

Contact Address: 6 Hough Green, Chester, CH4 8JG.  Email: [email protected]

ThePhilatelicRegister.com has replaced the montly issue of The Philatelic Register. The change in format has been dictated by the need to have a format that is more sustainable with regards the time required to keep it updated. As was The Philatelic Register, this evolving resource is FREE, users just need to register (only name and email address required) on the site to gain full access to article content.  All articles may be downloaded and printed or saved to PC. The site has been constructed on a WordPress platform and as such  has afforded much more versatility and new opportunites compared with original format.

I hope that as it evolves this new format will make it easier to fulfill the “Mission Statement” that encompasses the inspiration behind the original idea.

REGISTRATION:  The registration process on this site has default email verification, this cannot be bypassed.  Please check your spam folder if not received. If not in spam folder please advise me on  [email protected] using the email address you used at registration. I will then manually validate your account ASAP.  Please allow at least 48 hours for manual registration before contacting again.

(you may see reference to your profile at times when logging in or out. This has no effective relevance as the only details that those registering are able to enter are their name and email address. I have intentionally kept personal details to the practical minimum)

LOGIN:  This website has a default plugin to prevent malware or Distributed Denial of Service attacks. This security measure cannot be removed or deactivated. If subscribers make too many logins in a short period of time they may receive an “Access Denied” message. To try and mitigate subscribers inadvertently falling victim of this, I have set the inactivity logout at 60 minutes. Therefore if you need to leave the site for a short period of time you should likely not need to login again on your return.

If it so happens that you do receive an “Access Denied” message you will need to wait 30 minutes or so before attempting to log in again.

If you receive such a message on your first attempted login during a session it is likely to reflect the number of others logging in around the same time.

There will be an option to post comments on selected postings. It is hoped that by requiring registration it will discourage the leaving of inappropriate comments and mitigate the need for moderation of posts prior to publication. This would delay the publication and potentially devalue the facility if a posting would benefit from an early response (at times the facility to moderate comments may be activated if it is likely I will not be able to monitor for a while). As administrator I reserve the right to remove any post without need to give reason. Those deemed to be “abusing” the facility will have their registration revoked.

The most important purpose of the site is to provide a varied and expanding repository of knowledge and in doing so also try to recognise and preserve the work of many dedicated philatelists over the years. There will be regular postings but not at any specified times. The most recent postings appearing in “Latest Postings” in the sidebar.

The content of the site will be fully searchable using the search engine on the site.

Ian Lasok-Smith.  Owner, Publisher and Editor “The Philatelic Register”

Philatelic Traders Society (Gold Membership)

The Influence of the Variety

This article from the December 23rd 1950 issue of Stamp Collecting Weekly is thought provoking and perhaps strangely enlightening. Although the content is entirely related to the title of the work, many, as I was, may be suprised at the directiion in which it travels. Rather than it being some “academic” study, the author Dr J. L. Grumbridge O.B.E. has adopted an overtly “philosphical” approach to the subject.

An article worthy of a “must read” recommendation it can be downloaded from the link below.

The Influence of the Variety

 

The Life and Works of Samuel Allan Taylor

Samuel Allan Taylor, born in Scotland orphaned  and sent to  America by aged twelve years. Can justifiably lay claim to having produced and published the first philatelic journal ” The Stamp Collector’s Record” in 1864 but has also assumed the mantle of one of the most prolific and infamous philatelic forgers.

In a series of published in Stamp Collecting Weekly between 2nd December 1966 and January 13th 1967, Jan Kindler provides a detailed biography and colourfully describes his life and enterprises.

The full series can be downloaded from the link below

The Life and Works of Samuel Allan Taylor

Standard Terms for the Condition of Stamps

Although what “the eye finds pleasing” with regards stamps and their condition is ultimately subjective, it has to be acknowledged that it is important that potential buyers can be confident in the description of items they are considering purchasing.

The following articles were published in issues of Stamp Collecting Weekly between September 11th 1975 and March 25th 1976.

It was the article by A. J. Dady in the September 11th issue that stimulated the discussion in the “Quoting You” columns and the important contributions from Kenneth R. Lake in his articles in January 1st and Febrary 12th issues 1976.

Even though the articles and comments were published nearly 50 years ago they are no less relevant even in this rapidly evolving age of technology and perhaps even more so. Many who sell predominantly through the numerous online selling platforms (eBay, Delcampe, HipStamp….) and even those who have associations with professional bodies would do well to consider the content and reflect.

The articles and comments can be downloaded from the links below.

Standard Terms for Condition of Stamps by  A.J. Dady

“What do you mean, superb used?” by Kenneth R. Lake

Comment 1.

Unmounted, Mint, Unused or Hinged? by Kenneth R. Lake

Comment 2.

Stamp On It

The Post Office received a Design Award from the Design Council for its 1972 issues of stamps. This award was not for philatelic interest but as recognition of their excellence as printed examples of industrial design and their role in the performance of one of the largest systems of package handling.

In a series of articles published in Stamp Collecting Weekly in January 1975, Stuart Rose, F.S.I.A, design adviser at Post Office, described and analysed the concept of the postage stamp as an object of industrial design.

Starting with the Penny Black and going up to the then present day he described the main influences affecting design and production and provided views on designs that had been more or less succesful in the role for which they were specifically designed.

The complete series of articles can be downloaded from the link below.

Stamp on It

Early Letter-Weighing Devices

With the Rowland Hill plan, letters were carried irrespective of distance in the British Isles for 1d / ½ ounce. There was therefore a need for some form of scales to enable the sender to weigh letters at will at home without the need to visit the Posting Office.

A very short article in “Stamp Collecting Weekly” April 8th 1950 by R. K. Wortley FRPSL describes early weighing machines and can be downloaded from attachment below.

Early Letter-Weighing Devices

Puzzling Aspects of GB Stamp Printing-Colour Omitted

No sooner had the Post Office begun to produce more colourful commemoratives, and beginning with just a modest two colours with the Europa issue of 1960,  than the first colour omitted errors began to appear. To be strictly accurate the Europa issue provided an almost completely omitted error. The top right hand corner of possibly two sheets provided the green colour almost completely omitted from stamps 1/5, 1/6, 2/5 and 2/6.

As the numbers of colours employed in the design of stamps increased the phenomenon became more common.

In the September 15th 1967 issue of “Philatelic Magazine” E.C. Ehrmann describes how some of these omissions came about. This article was published in The Philatelic Register in July 2021. At the end of the article I added some comment of my own based on my experience and being frequently asked about unrecorded “missing colours”.

Puzzling Apects of GB Stamp Printing-Colours Omitted

Chats on Postage Stamps-Frederick J. Melville

“It is not given to all collectors to know their postage stamps. There is the collector who merely accumulates specimens without studying them. He has eyes, but he does not see more than that this stamp is red and that one is blue. He has ears, but they only hear that this stamp cost £1,000, and that this other can be purchased wholesale at sixpence the dozen. What shall it profit him if he collect many stamps, but never discover their significance as factors in the rapid spread of civilisation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries? The true student of stamps will extract from them all that they have to teach; he will read from them the development of arts and manufactures, social, commercial and political progress, and the rise and fall of nations”.  Frederick J. Melville

Melville wrote over 100 books and his works are still some of the most common encountered in Philately.

In 1897 he wrote and self-published an eightp age pamphlet called Stamp Collecting, priced at one  penny. Fred was so embarrassed with the publication in later years that he bought up every copy that was offered for sale, with the result that it is now a very scarce item. In 1899 he became the editor of the philatelic section of a small journal known as Hardman’s Miscellany. Soon afterwards he launched his own magazine, Young Stamp Collector which ran for six issues before merging with Stamp Collectors’ Fortnightly. Melville also contributed philatelic articles to The Daily Telegraph, Wide World Magazine, The Straits Times of Singapore, the Illustrated London News and John O’London’s Weekly.

Melville’s  complete “Chats on Postage Stamps” can be downloaded from the attachment below.

CHATS ON POSTAGE STAMPS. Fred J. Melville

 

 

Filatelic Phorgeries

I am grateful to Roger West for providing the following articles on Forgers which can be downloaded from attachment below.

I’m sure most collectors have experienced the disappointment of finding out one of their beloved stamps is in fact a worthless forgery. I used the term ‘worthless’ intentionally as the production of forgeries was rife a hundred years ago, and such items frequently appeared in collections, sometimes as ‘space fillers’ but often as ‘star items’.

However, the term ‘worthless’ may not apply to all forgeries, and notable exceptions are those where a specific name can be attributed to the forgery.

This series explores some forgeries which have been identified to specific forgers, and in so doing belies the term ‘worthless’ and their presence can actually enhance an otherwise normal collection.

Roger West

References: Philatelic Forgers – Their lives and Works by Varro E Tyler Internet

Jean de Sperati

Madame Joseph, Juan Canoura and Philip Spiro

John Harris, Francois Fournier, Alan Wilson

Jeffryes, Gibbons, Freshwater and West

 

Additional articles on Philatelic Forgers can be downloaded from links below

The Life and Works of Samuel Allan Taylor

Stamp Collecting as a Pastime- E. J. Nankivell

“Many people are at a loss to understand the fascination that surrounds the pursuit of stamp collecting. They are surprised at the clannishness of stamp collectors, and their lifelong devotion to their hobby. They are thunderstruck at the enormous prices paid for rare stamps, and at the fortunes that are spent and made in stamp collecting”.   Edward J Nankivell

Edward J. Nankivell was a member of the Institute of Journalists and also of The Philatelic Society of London. In his classic “Stamp Collecting as a Pastime”  in his own words he “….takes a peep behind the scenes…..”  of Stamp Collecting.

The complete work may be downloaded from the attachment below.

STAMP COLLECTING AS A PASTIME. Edward J. Nankivell